A. D. Garrett's Believe No One is a sequel to Everyone Lies in an outstanding Anglophile mystery series. Its leads are married DCI Kate Simms and Professor Nick Fennimore, a forensics expert whose wife was murdered and whose daughter Suzie went missing six years ago. Nick's obsessive search for Suzie already derailed Kate's career once. Though they have a history together, she is wary of any further involvement with him.

This episode takes place mainly in the United States. Kate is there on sabbatical, reviewing cold cases (and methods on both sides of the Atlantic) with the St Louis PD. Nick has lectures scheduled in both Chicago and St Louis, but also hopes to win Kate's assistance in digging into a recent email he received, of an older man with a teenage girl; could it be Suzie? Digital enhancement might provide clues.

Nick gets pulled into an investigation by Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Hicks whom he'd met at a seminar. A young woman's body has been found and she believes it might be linked to a prior killing. They meet in Tulsa. As Nick's and Kate's investigations get going, and eventually converge, readers are introduced to two killers on both sides of the Atlantic, one taking orders from the other - but beginning to resent his role.

It seems that the killers target single mothers with one child - the mother is found dead, the child usually missing. We also get to know - and be concerned for - an adventurous boy, nine-year-old Red, in a trailer park, as he is drawn into events. He receives help from a surprising source. Back in Scotland, Nick's mysterious but exceptionally gifted student, Josh Brown, gets into trouble with his hobby, searching for Suzie.

Like their detecting duo, A. D. Garrett is a writing duo - Margaret Murphy, author of nine previous psychological thrillers and Professor Dave Barclay, himself a forensic scientist. They pull all these plot threads together into a gripping read that still leaves unanswered questions - about Josh's shady past and Suzie's fate. I can't wait for more.

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